George Lombard Jr. continues to prove himself capable against MLB’s elite.
The 20-year-old Yankees prospect went 2-for-4 with two RBIs — with a booming double off Phillies ace Zack Wheeler — in the Double-A Somerset Patriots’ 9-6 win over the Reading Fightin Phils on Tuesday.
Wheeler, making his fourth rehab start with the Phillies’ Double-A affiliate as he recovers from surgeries for a blood clot and thoracic outlet syndrome, retired Lombard on a strikeout and a flyout in his first two plate appearances.
In the bottom of the sixth, however, Lombard ripped the first pitch he saw to right-center for an RBI double, giving Somerset its first run of the game.
He added an RBI single in the seventh to extend Somerset’s lead to 7-3.
The three-time All-Star, who struck out nine and allowed three earned runs over 5 2/3 innings, spoke glowingly about Lombard’s potential.
“He was taking good swings all night,” Wheeler told reporters after his outing at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, N.J., per The Trentonian. “You could tell he’s a good, strong kid. He has a good bat path. He’s gonna be a good player.
“Hopefully I don’t have to face him too much.”
Ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Yankees’ top prospect entering the season, Lombard’s offense has begun to match his defensive prowess.
He entered Tuesday in the midst of a torrid seven-game stretch, slashing .464/.531/.857 with two home runs and four RBIs.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Lombard is building on an impressive spring training, which included hitting a homer off Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet.
“It’s always good getting to face the elite guys in the league,” Lombard said at the time. “I was excited for it. Looking for something to hit, not trying to do too much with it and put a good swing on it.”
Lombard continued to stand out defensively at shortstop, with team brass expressing confidence in his future once he showed improvement with the bat.
“He’s just impressive physically,’’ Boone said in March about Lombard’s development. “As a young man, he keeps filling out and you notice another level every year.. He gives you a really good at-bat, knows the zone and is very disciplined and focused. The last thing for him is to continue to develop the hit tool to finish off the player.”
Lombard, a natural shortstop, showed versatility on Tuesday as he made his professional start at third base to make way for shortstop Anthony Volpe, who began a rehab assignment as he nears a return to The Bronx.
Volpe went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts, and made one throw to first base on a groundball before being lifted in the sixth inning — as Lombard shifted back to shortstop.
Volpe echoed Wheeler’s comments in praising Lombard’s abilities on both sides of the ball.
“I thought he looked great,” Volpe said postgame. “He made great plays in the field, good at-bats and smoked that ball to right [field].
“He’s a really hard worker, really great kid. It’s gonna be really exciting.”
